I should have made one of these years ago. With Ris’ new love, lure coursing, it seemed it was finally time.
To make one yourself, you’ll need:
PVC pipe (I used a 1/2″ pipe that was precut to 2 feet in length)
Washer (I used a 3/8″ one but as long as the metal disk is large enough to cover the entire opening of the PVC pipe and the hole is large enough to fit the rope, you should be fine)
Clothesline (I got the polyester/polyethylene mix type since I wanted something strong but less likely to burn Risa if she got caught on it)
Duct tape
A toy/rag/sock
First I took the washer and I duct taped it to the bottom of the PVC pipe. I made sure to leave the hole open so I could thread the clothesline through. I then duct taped part of the bottom of the pipe so that I could have an easy grip. Then I measured and cut a length of clothesline. I first measured the length of the pipe and then added an additional 8 or so feet (this will vary based on the size of your dog and your own preferences; thank goodness I had 50 feet of clothesline so I could have made adjustments). Then I fed the line through the pipe and pulled it out the other side using pliers. I tied a HUGE knot at the end so that it wouldn’t come undone and wouldn’t fit through the washer hole. After that, I duct taped the knot to the bottom of the PVC pipe. Finally, I tied one of Ris’ toys to the end of the rope.
It’s amazing how quickly she tires chasing this thing. And how happy she is doing it. Seems like I may have finally found a way to give her love of running an outlet! Now I just need to find a way to implement this as a reward when we’re training too. 🙂
